With her eyes fixed on Lilith, she savored every moment. She stopped a few meters away from Lilith, gazing at the silhouette that burned, unable to retaliate.
"And one..." Luna murmured, a sadistic smile forming on her lips despite the pain that engulfed her. Then she took off.
But as she left the city in flames, her fiery silhouette merging with the clouds, a figure emerged from the shadows. Linfer appeared before the blazing Lilith, watching the scene with a mix of amusement and interest.
"She is very dangerous, more than I anticipated..." He observed Luna calmly flying away, his mind already calculating his next moves.
'Hmmm... The heat is unbearable,' he thought, seeing his flesh burning and regenerating constantly, even without direct contact with the flame.
POV: Lilith
The pain was unbearable, an infernal cycle of flames burning me, then regenerating, over and over, relentlessly. I thought it was the inherent ability of the Tenshi Mode, but it only made things worse. It was the sadism of this mortal; she didn't want me to die quickly but rather wanted me to suffer eternally before my consciousness was destroyed.
I was but a shadow of myself, kneeling, my hands pressed against the ground, unable to move. Each breath was torture. Every second felt like an eternity. The crimson flame gave me no respite, consuming me in an endless agony. I had lost all sense of time, lost in this boundless suffering.
And then, he appeared.
Through the haze of pain and flames, I saw him. A young man, of strange and disconcerting beauty. His skin was an almost unreal pallor, his long black hair floating gently, as if carried by a breeze that didn't exist in this apocalyptic landscape. He crouched before me, serene and unshakable, an oasis of calm in the hell that surrounded me.
I stared at him, pleading. "Whoever you are... please... kill me..." My voice was broken, a desperate whimper. The pain paralyzed me, the flame devoured me endlessly, and I could bear it no more.
He gently reached out, plunging his hand into the flames that consumed me and touched my face, slowly moving down to my neck. I saw his flesh burn, but he showed no pain. Not even a hint of emotion crossed his perfect features. His calmness struck me.
'Who is he? How could he remain so imperturbable? What is he doing here?'
"How could I kill such a beautiful woman?" he murmured in a soft, almost melodic voice.
I wanted to respond, but before I could utter a word, he placed his now bone-like finger on my trembling lips.
"Shhh..." he urged me, his voice gentle and reassuring. "Just... forget everything around you, look into my eyes."
And I did. I lifted my eyes to meet his, and in an instant, it felt like the entire world had stopped spinning. The pain, the suffering, the flames... all of it vanished. There were only his eyes and the absolute calm they offered me. It was as if he had taken all that pain within himself, offering me a moment of peace in the midst of this hell.
He brought his face closer to mine, with a tenderness I had never known. His lips brushed my forehead in a kiss so delicate that I barely felt it, but his warmth enveloped me. Then he whispered into my ear, his voice soft, almost like a secret meant only for me: "Sleep..."
His breath against my skin soothed me. I was no longer afraid. I felt strangely safe, and the pain seemed to fade slowly. My eyelids closed on their own, and all that remained was his calming presence. In that moment, I surrendered to this stranger...
End of POV.
"One thing done..." Linfer murmured, leaning back, his impassive gaze fixed on Lilith.
As she burned, he discreetly used his blood manipulation to draw some of his own blood, unnoticed by Lilith. Through his *Devour* ability, he temporarily copied Lilith's illusion power. With her mind disordered by pain, she was an easy target to hypnotize. What made Linfer formidable was his instant mastery of the abilities he copied, sometimes even understanding their potential better than the original user. He knew that the more blood he absorbed, the more he could permanently claim a power, although this idea still needed to be fully tested.
'For now, I am still weak,' Linfer thought, observing the apocalyptic scene around him. 'I must remain in the shadows and strengthen myself. Lilith will be an excellent pawn.'
He rose slowly, watching the flames devour Lilith. "First, I must extinguish these flames."
He smiled slightly, noticing Luna's blood, scattered across the battlefield. He sucked up the blood from the ground and transformed it into smoke, inhaling it deeply. The omega symbol on his forehead sparkled briefly, and his heart seemed to beat for a second. But almost immediately, his necklace emitted a faint glow, returning his heart to its silent state.
Through his blood magic, Linfer was still alive despite his inert heart. This explained his cadaverous appearance, his skin pale and almost ghostly.
Once calm, he made a nonchalant gesture, extinguishing the flames that ravaged Lilith. However, he made sure to leave the deep burns, preventing her flesh from regenerating immediately. He let the city burn, reducing the immortal army to ashes, while ensuring he didn't attract Luna Crimson's attention.
Then, with absolute calm, Linfer lifted Lilith's burned but still living body. Without a word, he took off, carrying his new prey through the night sky, his silhouette merging with the darkness.
***
A small town on the border of the Alderbaran domain and the Crimson house.
A calm atmosphere prevailed despite the distant turmoil of wars. Above a modest inn, the pale light of the moon illuminated a silent room. The wind blew gently through the slightly open window, gently stirring the curtains.
Lilith woke up with a start. Her entire body was wrapped in bandages, the burns hidden beneath layers of fabric. She blinked, the dull pain bringing her back to reality. Her throat was dry, so hoarse that she felt speaking would be impossible. Each breath seemed to tear her apart from the inside.